FolioCorpusŚrīmad-Bhāgavatam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam 7.2.22

नित्य आत्माव्यय: शुद्ध: सर्वग: सर्ववित्पर: । धत्तेऽसावात्मनो लिङ्गं मायया विसृजन्गुणान् ॥ २२ ॥
nitya ātmāvyayaḥ śuddhaḥ
[nitya aatmaavyayah shuddhah]
sarvagaḥ sarva-vit paraḥ
[sarvagah sarva-vit parah]
dhatte ’sāv ātmano liṅgaṁ
[dhatte ’saav aatmano lingam]
māyayā visṛjan guṇān
[maayayaa visrijan gunaan]
Word-for-word
nityaḥ — eternal ātmā — spirit soul avyayaḥ — inexhaustible śuddhaḥ — with no material tinge sarva-gaḥ — qualified to go anywhere in the material or spiritual worlds sarva-vit — full of knowledge paraḥ — transcendental to material conditions dhatte — accepts asau — that ātmā, or living being ātmanaḥ — of the self liṅgam — a body māyayā — by the material energy visṛjan — creating guṇān — various material qualities.
Blended reading (Sanskrit + English inline)
nitya ātmāvyayaḥ śuddhaḥ
nityaḥ
eternal
ātmā
spirit soul
avyayaḥ
inexhaustible
śuddhaḥ
with no material tinge
sarvagaḥ sarva-vit paraḥ
sarva-gaḥ
qualified to go anywhere in the material or spiritual worlds
sarva-vit
full of knowledge
paraḥ
transcendental to material conditions
dhatte ’sāv ātmano liṅgaṁ
dhatte
accepts
asau
that ātmā, or living being
ātmanaḥ
of the self
liṅgam
a body
māyayā visṛjan guṇān
māyayā
by the material energy
visṛjan
creating
guṇān
various material qualities.
The spirit soul, the living entity, has no death, for he is eternal and inexhaustible. Being free from material contamination, he can go anywhere in the material or spiritual worlds. He is fully aware and completely different from the material body, but because of being misled by misuse of his slight independence, he is obliged to accept subtle and gross bodies created by the material energy and thus be subjected to so-called material happiness and distress. Therefore, no one should lament for the passing of the spirit soul from the body.
Purport

Hiraṇyakaśipu very intelligently described the position of the soul. The soul is never the body, but is always completely different from the body. Being eternal and inexhaustible, the soul has no death, but when the same pure soul desires to enjoy the material world independently, he is placed under the conditions of material nature and must therefore accept a certain type of body and suffer the pains and pleasures thereof. This is also described by Kṛṣṇa in Bhagavad-gītā (13.22) . Kāraṇaṁ guṇa-saṅgo ’sya sad-asad-yoni janmasu: the living entity is born in different families or species of life because of being infected by the modes of material nature. When conditioned by material nature, the living entity must accept a certain type of body, which is offered by nature under the direction of the Supreme Lord.

īśvaraḥ sarva-bhūtānāṁ hṛd-deśe ’rjuna tiṣṭhati bhrāmayan sarva-bhūtāni yantrārūḍhāni māyayā

“The Supreme Lord is situated in everyone’s heart, O Arjuna, and is directing the wanderings of all living entities, who are seated as on a machine, made of the material energy.” ( Bg. 18.61 ) The body is just like a machine, and according to the living entity’s karma, he is offered a particular type of machine to move here and there under the control of material nature. This continues until he surrenders to the Supreme Personality of Godhead ( mām eva ye prapadyante māyām etāṁ taranti te ). Until he surrenders, the conditioned soul is carried from life to life by the arrangement of material nature.

— A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda
Gauḍīya Ācāryas
Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura Gauḍīya
Translation
The ātmā is eternal, without decay, pure, capable of going to all planets, experiences life everywhere, and is different from the body. By its ignorance, the ātmā accepts for itself a subtle body, in order to accept and reject various gross bodies. I have said all this from the common man’s viewpoint to make you understand. You should also understand by philosophy that Hiraṇyākṣa is an ātmā, not a body. Hear about his real form as an ātmā. He is eternal, without death, without decay, without contamination, and all-pervading. All-pervasion is a quality of the Lord, but because of his demonic mentality, he applies this term to the jīva. But the jīva goes to all planets and therefore can be called sarvagaḥ. He knows everything about happiness and distress. He is different from the subtle body (paraḥ). This ātmā accepts this body by ignorance (māyayā). Why? He accepts the subtle body in order to accept gross bodies high or low (guṇān). And then he rejects these gross bodies. Viṣrjan has both meanings.
Related values & verses
Related verses
BG 18.61
Related lectures
Personal Guidance
The soul is eternal, indestructible, and free to roam — but misuse of free will lands it in subtle and gross bodies. So-called material happiness and distress arise from this misuse. Lament not for the soul's passage; examine your own use of free will.
Reflection Questions
  • Where is your free will currently buying you bondage you call freedom?
  • What recent loss would feel different if you remembered the lost one as a soul, not a body?
📝 My note

Source: vedabase.io

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